:» Jr « ' S ti» ' 1 
Receiving Platform for Milk. Fig. -^77 
milk is clt'Iiverocl uiuler coiulitions }icceptal)le to the 
Health Department of the city of Bridgeport. 
BUSINESS MANAGEMENT.—Payment for all 
milk delivered is made every week or oftener, at 
the option of the company. The manager of the 
company may recpiire bond of any dealer before 
accepting his contract. Failure on the part of the 
dealer to comply with the provisions of the con¬ 
tract is suflicient warrant for the company to dis¬ 
continue sale of milk, and the dealer agrees that all 
sums for milk and for containers delivered shall at 
once become due. The farmers of Fairfield County 
are vex’y proud of the Farmers’ Dairy Company, and 
invite strangers to stand outside the big glass win- 
doAvs and Avatch the progress of the milk from the 
time it enters the vats until the cap is fitted in place 
on the bottle. There is no handling, as everything 
is done by electricity, in immaculate Avhite-tlled 
rooms. NINA LAXE MCBRIDE. 
Strawberry Plants By Mail 
E arly in June Mr. L. J. Farmer sent us by mail 
a package of straAvberry plants. They Avere 
packed as shoAvn in the picture at Fig. 479, the tape 
mea.sure alongside showing the size. The plants 
Avere Avrappi'd in wet moss and then in oiletl paper 
Avhich held the moisture around the roots. Then the 
heavy cardboard packed around held the package 
securely and prevented smashing. In sending the 
plants Mr. Farmer Avrote : 
I am sending you these plants now to show you the 
possibilities of transplanted plants at this time. One 
can work over his fields and get the weed groAvth prac¬ 
tically exterminated by this time, at least you can saA'c 
the hand work on plants you Avould put out on them 
np to this date. You put thorn out and they will make 
sufficient fruiting roAvs by Autumn. 
These plants were transplanted into roAVS close to¬ 
gether, early, and have not grown up fit to plant out 
permanently in the field. You know that Avhen a 
StraAvberry plant is set, it dies dOAvn and has to groAA' 
up again. These plants haA'e gone through this process 
and are noAV ready to groAV right along if properly 
planted. 
The plants reached us in fine condition, and Avere 
“heeled in.’’ In the rush of Avork they Avere, or 
some of them, neglected and Avere planted out at 
various times—the last on July 29. These plants 
are strong and vigorous, and are making a fine 
groAvth. There seems no cpiestiou about the suc¬ 
cess in shipping plants in this Avay. 
Advertising Potato Meeting 
P OTATO groAvers near llolmdel, Monmouth Co., 
N. J., have developed a neAv plan of Sunday 
afternoon potato meetings. These gatherings are 
held on Sunday afternoons on the laAvn at some 
good central farm. Most of those avIio attend have 
heard a good sermon and eaten a good dinner and 
I'OAv they are ready for potato science. The speak¬ 
ers are usually men from the Agricultural Colle.ge. 
Dr. Cook spoke one Sunday on potato diseases, Dr. 
Headlee on insect pests, and Dr. Lipman Avill speak 
on the fertilizer problem. An expert from W“ash- 
ington Avill talk on the potato seed question. These 
potato farmers have developed a most signal Avay of 
calling attention to these meetings. Among other 
things they advertise in the local county papers. 
Here are tAvo samples of such advertising recently 
printed: 
Professors and Farmers in Partnership 
woi-k Avonders in potato fields. Science invented Paris 
green for bugs, and science can help farmers cure blight 
and groAV larger crops. Potato meeting at llolmdel 
next Sunday. 
HAVE CALLED TOTATO DOCTORS! 
Fields sick from disease and insects, doctors say, can 
have health and larger crops if farmers and scientists 
pull together. Hear Doctor Headlee at llolmdel next 
Sunday. 
This is carrying the business of agriculture right 
Avhere it ought to go. This method of proceeding 
and these meetings Avill do great things for the 
farmers of Monmouth County. They already feel 
the effects of their combined power. The “American 
RURAL. NEW-YORKER 
Giant” potato is largely grown in that section, and 
by reason of its long shape is a hard variety to sort 
or grade. The farmers got together and protested 
to such good effect that the Food Administration 
modified its order, and Avill permit “Giant” stock to 
bo .sold. No. 1 and No. 2 mixed. 
Tree Injury From Winter-Killing 
T he past Winter Avill go dOAvn in history as prob¬ 
ably the most disastrous to fruit growers ever 
known, the loss in some cases being almost un- 
belieA'able, and I feel certain the full amount of loss 
IS not yet knoAvn. We have one man in this com¬ 
munity Avhose estimated loss is close to 2,000 trees, 
apple and pear running from two to seven years, 
mostly the latter, Avhile others run Avell into the 
hundreds. The injury is mostly root-killing, many 
trees shoAving uo signs of discoloration, or any. other 
type of injury to the top. 
I’ractically all trees started as usual in the Spring, 
and those of bearing age and condition blossomed 
about as usual, then fast as the stored energy and 
material of the top was used up, the tree would 
Avither and die, and they are continuing to do so 
yet, even at this late date. Sometimes they look as 
Avell as usual. Avhen in a single day they Avither and 
die. IMany interesting and surprising things de- 
veloi). and yet all point to about one thing as re- 
sponsilde here. namel.A', a loose open soil, left bare 
from one cause or another. Many are of the opinion 
loss is due in some cases at least to late cultiA'ation. 
1 do not believe in any case that is directly responsi¬ 
ble. If it Avere killing back of tops I Avould think 
it might be. 
There seemed to be little difference, too. as to 
varieties. Oldenburg. McIntosh. Spy, suffering 
equiilly as badly as other varieties not considereci 
Plant of Farmers' Dairy Company. Fig. 4T8 
as hardy. In fact, the McIntosh has been one of 
the varieties that has suffered most, but in no case 
that I have seen shOAving any top injuiy early in 
Spring, the amount of protection of the root system 
seeming to govern rather generally the amount of 
injury. 
A A’ast number of trees not yet dead, and Avhich 
may not die at least for some time, are vex-y much 
off colox’, and making no groAvth. Whether these 
tx’ees AA’ill build up a iieAV x’oot system and eventually 
xecover, or Avhethex', on the other hand, they Avill 
linger until next Spring or longer, and never amount 
to much, is something many growers in this section 
would give much to knoAA^ at this time. In my oavxx 
case I shall try to get as good a root covering as 
possible, give a rather heavy pruning Avhen dox-mant, 
and a good application of available nitrogen eaxdy 
iiext Spx'ing, wm. hotalinq. 
Columbia Co., N. Y. 
The Modem Awakening of an Old Ohio 
Town 
ACIIINERY AND GASOLINE.—The Avriter of 
this lives alongside of the great military 
load that is being built betAveen Cleveland and 
YouugstoAvn (nearly completed), and is stx-uck Avith 
the economic changes introduced in its building as 
compax’ed AVith the road opex'ations. of even three 
years ago. I note hoAv machinery and gasoline have 
supplanted the hand shovel, and the horse; and a 
dozen men, all told, with not a horse team on the job, 
are doing today Avhat 100 men and 50 teams did 
Avhen the px'oject Avas started two years ago. As I 
Avait, eight huge motor tx’ucks are rapidly passing 
and x’epassing, hauling great loads of fuxmaee slag 
from the steel mills, bx-oken up to fist size, for the 
foundation pavement. Each truck carx'ies seven to 
eight tons of slag, and makes 12 to 14 round trips 
each day fx*om the loading hoist at the raihvay. 
The contrast in hauling is made clear Avhen a team 
of horses can only, at the best, deliver eight tone 
975 ' 
per day on the grade at $0 per day, when the tracks 
each deliA’er over 100 tons in the same time at a 
cost of $26 a day to tbe contractox*. The eight truck.s 
delivered yesterday 850 tons of matexdal on the 
grade. 
HOW THE WORK 18 DONE.—To farmer.s it is 
intex’esting to Avatch this paving process. The slag 
is evenly spx’ead, eight inches in thickness, by the 
trucks themselves, and is folloAved by many repeated 
rollings by a 15-ton rollei’. after AA'hich about tAvo 
inches of fine slag cement is put bn, and this rolled 
until forced into the coaxAse slag, then deluged Avith 
watex\ and then rolled yet again. Whexx it sets, it 
is a bed of hard cement. Again another layer of 
slag is put on. rolled and mox*e cement applied, and 
again rolled in and Avetted dOAvn. and then boiling 
taxwia by the hundx-eds of bari’els is poux’ed over the 
sui’face, more cement spread on and all this x’olled 
in beloAA^ the .surface, ami is again coated Avith slag, 
cement, the dirt sides of the pavement regx-aded, and 
rolled dOAvn to make a side x’oad. and the job is suix- 
posed to be complete, all for the sum of about $2;>,000 
a mile. Iix this no mention has been made of tbe 
gx’ading of the road in the Fall of 1917. .so as to 
give it time to settle. The x’oadAvay is 32 feet in 
width, bridged Avith culverts, ditched on both sides, 
and the gx*ade confoxuning to the x’equii’ements of 
ti'olle.A' roads folloAving higliAA'ays. 
INCREASING AT’TO TRAFFIC.—The changes 
fi'om the old order are many, and regarded as very 
modexm. Thi.s x’oad has been coiujileted only a foAV 
Aveeks as far as 25 miles out from the city of Cleve¬ 
land. The commuter.s. of Avhom Ave have many, 
liOAA' dx'ive into the city in the morning in their cax-s, 
and ignore the “Exde.” Farmex’s and all are buying 
autos by the score, and an eri-and to CleA'eland and 
back in thx’ee hours, is commonplace. The px’oduce 
buyers of the cit.v alx’eady sAvax'in the countx-y and 
Cleveland prices have actuall.v come to the fax-mer’s 
door. Even the junk dealex’s come in .small tracks. 
J’lie rural delivex'y comes by auto over our pavements, 
and the faxmier gets his morning paper befox’e 11 
o’clock. And then the great ti'ucks come out from 
the city and gather up the milk from the fai’xns by 
seven A. M., and deliver it to the designated dealer 
by 10.30, retunx the cans the next moxuiing, and 
the tnxekman acts as agent to find customex's, both 
Avays. This tx’uck serA-ice costs four cents a can 
less than b.v raihvay, and is xpxite as prompt. The 
motor bus runs into the city three times a day, and 
back on off houx*s, and at a 25-cent less x’ate than 
the tx*ain. Then half a dozen farm motors ax’e 
pufling and snox-ting aAvay on ploAved fields, meadOAvs, 
wheat bindex-s. and yesterday a little “cx'eeper” 
motor Avent by pulling tAVo lax'ge fax-m Avagons, one 
loaded Avith coal, the other dairy feed, and did not 
Xiotice the long x-h-er hill, beyond snox'ting a little 
loudex’. 
HEAVY TRUCKING.—A great trucking company 
has been formed near by, that is, and has been 
putting on a fleet of motor trxicks, and is making 
round txdps three times a Aveek betAveen Akron. Ohio, 
and Boston, Mass., on the East, and Chicago to the 
West. Columbus, Cincinnati and Ifittsbux-g to the 
south, and these trucks go loaded to the top and 
make a x’ound trip to Bo.ston and back in eight 
days, beating the x*ailroads by that many Aveeks. 
There seem to be a scox-e of the smalier concerns, 
tx'ucking all over Northern Ohio, not to mention 
Uncle Ham’s Avar txaxeks passing fx*oxn 20 to 125 a 
day, betAveen Cleveland and Baltimore. Most of 
these minor truck lines do a Avay freight business, 
pick up produce, etc., deliver to the designated firm, 
collect the sum, ami retunx the money and empty 
bags. Evex’y day the l)utchers’ trucks go by with 
StrawbeiTij Plants Shipped by Parcel Post. Fig. 
